OBJECTIVE Determining the results 5 years after surgery for proximal femur fractures. METHODS Descriptive, retrospective. METHODS Department of General Medicine, Red Cross Hospital, the Hague, the Netherlands. METHODS In 1996, for all patients operated on for proximal femur fractures in 1991, data were collected from the patient records regarding the admission and situation at home, and from the municipal archives, the family physician, the patient or his or her family regarding survival. The 5-year survival was compared with that of a cohort matched for age and sex, according to data from the Central Bureau for Statistics. The level of function after 5 years was evaluated by means of a Broos checklist. RESULTS Of the 117 patients operated, 69 had medical, 9 lateral and 39 pertrochanteric fractures. The average age of the 20 men and 97 women was 71 and 82 years, respectively. The average duration of hospitalisation was 31 days. Seven patients (6%) died while still in hospital. Of the 110 surviving patients, 61 (55%) returned to the situation in which they lived before. Starting 6 months postoperatively, the 5-year survival curves were parallel to those of the matched cohort. After 5 years, 53 patients (45%) were still alive. Of these, 37 patients (70%) functioned well. CONCLUSIONS Most patients with proximal femur fracture belong to the category of patients in advanced old age. The survival after 5 years was 45%; most of the mortality occurred during the first 6 months after the operation. Of those surviving, 70% functioned well.